My name is Brett Griffiths he/him. I am a Special Olympics athlete and member of the Special Olympics Manitoba Board of Directors. I work as a Recreation Facilitator in a personal care home called West Park Manor in Winnipeg, Manitoba. 

My name is Susan Wang, I’m an athlete leader from Vancouver Canada and a Sargent Shriver Global Messenger. I was born in China and immigrated to Canada when I was 4. When I was 14, I was diagnosed with Autism, ADHD and a learning disability. Despite my learning challenges, I received my bachelor’s degree in early childhood education in 2021 and have worked as an Early Childhood Educator for 4 years. My main sports that I will participate this year will be alpine skiing and track and field. 

Hi my name is Krystal Nausbaum. I am someone with Down syndrome as my disability. I'm also in the LGBTQ community and a queer lesbian. I'm 36 years old. I've done a lot of theatre like I did 3 high school ensembles at YPT, I've been in 3 production plays with the play writer Judith Thompson in The Grace Project Sick, Rare, and Wildfire. I've also been in film/television such as The Memory Keepers Daughter, a tv series called Between on Netflix, I've been in another tv series in one episode in Nothern Rescue. I was in the movie The Rainbow Kid and I've also been the movie called Blood Honey. I'm also an advocate, creative writer and freestyle hip hop dancing.

Tamaira Bodogh (aka. Tammy-B/Mary B-Light) was born/raised in St. Catharines ON, Canada on June 16th, 1992, who has learning disability from a High-Functioning Spectrum Autism and also in LGBTQ community as a lesbian.
In July 2019, she have released her 1st album called "Music In Me", then made a music video called "Trust Your Struggles" on YouTube channel which has now raise over 1,200 views & 2 original songs called "It's Gonna Be OK" & "Written Words" was released from The Willow Arts Community of their album called "Songs From The Willow Vol. 2" on Band Camp website in October 2021. Her performing/visual arts skills is singing, songwriting, guitar musician, dancing, burlesque, acting, DJ, painting, coloring & drawing.

Amanda (she/her) is a Sexual Health Educator specializing in supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and neurodiversities to learn about healthy relationships, consent, appropriate and inappropriate behaviours, and personal boundaries. Her approach combines education, open conversations, and multimedia resources to create accessible, meaningful learning experiences.
Amanda holds an undergraduate degree in Psychology from York University and a certificate in Sexual Health from the University of Alberta. During her studies at the University of Alberta, she collaborated with the Peel District School Board to develop healthy sexuality and human development materials for teachers, helping to equip them with the tools and confidence to engage in these important conversations with their students. With over 15 years of experience in the developmental sector, Amanda began her my career at Reena, working directly with individuals across a variety of settings.
Amanda currently works as a Person-Directed Planner with Montage Support Services, where she work alongside individuals to create meaningful and person-centered plans for their lives. As part of Montage’s Anti-Human Trafficking Team, she supports and plans with survivors of human trafficking and individuals at risk of sexual exploitation. I am also a member of the Relationship Group, an initiative that creates social opportunities for people to meet, learn about healthy sexuality, and build and sustain meaningful relationships.

Dr. Julie Pfeffer lives for hospital dentistry, because she gets to work with so many amazing patients with disabilities. Originally from Toronto, she resides in Winnipeg, Manitoba, where she works as an attending at the Adult Dental Clinic at Health Sciences Centre, as an associate dentist in private practice, and as professor at the Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry at the University of Manitoba. She’s excited to share her areas of knowledge at the conference, but even more excited to learn from you all.

Marty Lampkin (she/her) is an Afro-Caribbean woman who lives by her motto, "My Ancestors did not die for me to remain silent."
She is a Professor, Registered Social Worker and Psychotherapist. She is a strong advocate, educator and consultant on the intersection of Anti-Black Racism for Black people living with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), intellectual disabilities and neurodiversity and their caregivers.
Marty’s leadership has led to the founding of the first Anti-Racism Black Cultural Awareness Group within a leading developmental disability and autism agency in the city of Toronto. She not only created a safe space for Black-identifying clinicians across the agency, but led the development of Anti-Black Racism education and training for both leadership and frontline staff.
Marty has consulted on discrimination issues within the disability sector and has developed a unique program for Black adults with ASD. Her work has highlighted how Black families experience a lack of culturally-appropriate care and increased incidents of racism when trying to access support for their children living with complex disabilities. Her work can be seen on TVO The Agenda with Steve Paikin and featured article in NOW Toronto Magazine.
Marty is the founder of a community program titled Racism affects me too, which focuses on the impacts of Anti-Black Racism on individuals living with intellectual disabilities or ASD. Her work from the Racismaffectsmetoo program was requested to be presented in 2024 as the Keynote speaker at the Ontario Association on Developmental Disability Conference (OADD), The Community Living Inclusion Symposium and the ODEN Rethinking Disability Conference. Last year, Marty founded and launched the first Masabilities: Carnival Without Limits as she created a Disability Inclusive Carnival experience in the City of Toronto during the Toronto Caribbean Carnival Parade traditionally known as Caribana.
As a professor in the School of Community and Social Services, she is an educator on Anti-Oppressive Practice, Anti-Black Racism and Mental Health and has contributed to the development of a Black Futures Campus Hub Space to provide supports to staff, faculty and students. She is one of the founding members and remains an active advisory committee member addressing pervasiveness of Anti-black Racism in Post -Secondary institutions. Marty has created the first Black Disability Freedom Space event which she cultivated to bring to light the intersection of Blackness and Disability for faculty, students and staff.
Lastly, she also the recipient of the Nancy CAIRR Award for consistently demonstrating the values of collaboration, accountability, innovation, respect and responsiveness in 2021, nominated for the Disability Access Award from the City of Toronto Access, Equity and Human Rights Award and the recipient of the 2023 Inspirational Leader Award from the Ontario Association of Social Workers (OASW) in 2023. Recently she received the 2025 Black Health Care Hero Award from the Black Health Professional Network and the Noreen Adam Trailblazer Award in Accessibility from Community Living Toronto.

Hanna Grover is a strong youth advocate for health equity and mental well-being, committed to forging pathways for access to rights. Through her work with UNITI and Inclusion BC, Hanna has supported adults with diverse developmental needs, adapting communication and care strategies to promote autonomy, dignity, and meaningful engagement. Her work has strengthened overall understanding of the systemic barriers people with disabilities face in accessing equitable healthcare, education, and community resources. Additionally, she has worked with national organizations, such as Our Kids Health, to deliver culturally relevant health information and dismantle the spread of health misinformation for over 50,000+ BIPOC families and caregivers.

Alongside serving on councils to improve healthcare equity within Canada, she is passionate about community outreach, as evident through delivering workshops on health and nutrition to elementary school students, aiming to empower them with essential knowledge for a healthy lifestyle. Her commitment to youth well-being extends beyond her own projects, evidenced by her personal passion for scientific inquiry and research within medicine through her laboratory roles. Hanna’s advocacy work has garnered national recognition, including awards such as Children First Canada’s Top 10 Changemaker, BC Medal of Good Citizenship, and Surrey’s Top 25 Under 25.

Hanna is a firm believer in the power of community service and advocacy. Her community work reflects a commitment to inclusivity and breaking down barriers for Canadians, ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to thrive and access the resources they need.

My research focuses on understanding and improving how we diagnose and treat developmental disabilities utilizing an intersectional, anti-oppressive lens. I am also interested in how prenatal alcohol and substance exposure overlap with the effects of complex trauma experienced in early childhood, recognizing that many children diagnosed with FASD have faced significant adversity.

My goal is to ensure that children with developmental disabilities and their families receive care that is equitable, culturally safe, and compassionate. By identifying and addressing inequalities in how diagnoses are made and treated, I hope to contribute to healthcare practices that better serve our patients and families.

Rabbi Ruti Regan is a feminist rabbi and disabled disability advocate working at the margins of Jewish community. She is a prominent rabbinic voice, known for her work about the intersection of disability and Jewish text, thought and practice. She researches inclusive liturgies and ritual change. She previously served as Rabbinic Disability Scholar in Residence at Matan, where she taught Jewish educators strategies for inclusive teaching. She also leads a long-running #ParshaChat Torah study group on Bluesky, and is the author of the realsocialskills.org blog. Rabbi Regan was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary in 2017, and previously studied at the Drisha Institute for Jewish Education and the Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem.

Driven by passion, Cari Borenko has led advance care planning (ACP) at Fraser Health since 2006, shaping programs in Canada, New Zealand, Singapore, and Japan. She has a  UBC Department Medicine clinical instructor appointment and an author of several articles featuring Canada’s experience and expertise. Cari has presented at many international conferences and supported professionals worldwide, enhancing advance care planning practices globally. She is a membership voted board member of advance care planning international and appointed member of Canadian National ACP Advisory Committee. Cari is extremely proud to be leading the largest ACP team in Canada, focusing on a proactive system level implementation across the health authority in all sectors and in the general public. She has co-created a variety of health care provider resources including clinical practice guidelines, policies and public resources which have been adapted in various organizations across the world.

Donald (Donnie) Maclean has been president on the board of People First Nova Scotia, been in local People First chapter for 29 years, and has been in Special Olympics for 29 years. Donnie is a disability advocate and motivated speaker. He has has lived on his own for 36 years, residing in the the town of Middleton, Nova Scotia since 1993. Donnie has received recognition rewards for every 5 years of participation in people first and has received medals for his achievements in special Olympics. Donnie participates in parades promoting his chapter for people first and sits on the regional advisory council for the province of Nova Scotia since 2025. Donnie visited the premier of Nova Scotia a few years ago and advocated for the 5-year road map and spoke about how disappointed he was that they were not keeping to their promise.

“I find it a privilege to speak up for myself and be a voice for those who can’t speak for themselves.”

Heidi Mallett is an experienced and enthusiastic international disability advocate. She is a skilled public speaker and has addressed a variety of audiences including government forums, community, and nonprofit groups. Heidi is an accomplished leader with 25 years of experience serving in leadership roles on boards with local, national, and international organizations and committees, including the Brain Health-IDD Program, Special Olympics Prince Edward Island (SOPEI) Board of Directors, Health Advisory Board and the Aging Athletes’ Working Group with Special Olympics International. In the past, she was part of the Canadian Athletes’ Leadership Council, the Chair of the Global Athletes’ Leadership Council, the president for the PEI People First board, member of the People First Canada board, and co-chair of the Community Inclusion board housing committee.

Heidi is an advocate for individuals with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities working together for a more inclusive, accepting, and collaborative world. She has lived on her own in an apartment for the past 21 years in Alberton, PEI. One of the key roles Heidi plays is being an instructor in the Brain Health-IDD program where she brings her lived experience to help others remain active as they are aging in life. Heidi is a role model for Special Olympics athletes, and has been an athlete for 19 years. She also attended the 2023 Global Athletes Congress in Berlin, Germany during the Special Olympics World Summer Games. Heidi acknowledges the opportunities given to her inside and outside of sports to help guide and inspire others. She does her best to learn new skills while making new life-long friends both in her hometown and around the world.

Dr. Laura St. John is an Azrieli Accelerator Assistant Professor specializing in Exercise and Health Research for Neurodiverse Women and Girls. Through a biopsychosocial lens, her research examines the relationship between physical activity, health, and well-being in women and girls with neurodevelopmental disabilities. She is particularly interested in understanding how physical activity and health fluctuate during menstruation and menopause in this population. Prior to this, Dr. St. John was a postdoctoral fellow at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, following the completion of her PhD in Exercise Science at the University of Toronto. Beyond her academic work, Dr. St. John has been actively involved in coaching, including roles with Special Olympics and as an indoor and beach volleyball coach. She is dedicated to advancing the health and well-being of individuals with neurodevelopmental conditions through her research, community engagement, and advocacy.